Category Archives: Health

Fiber, can’t see it now, shining and glowing, surrounded with gold, placed on top of the high pedestal of Health Food. Dieticians, weight loss books, and health coaches all ask you if you have enough fiber in your diet. In stores, everywhere, fiber fortified foods line the shelves, boasting fiber content this and insoluble fiber that. But is fiber actually that good for you? What exactly is fiber, anyway? How much is good, and how does it even work?

These are really important questions to ask, and there is no easy answer, no magic pill or formula. The closer we look at each of the component nutrients (fiber is a component nutrient of the macro-nutrient Carbohydrate) the more complicated we make these choices for ourselves. So, let’s talk about fiber, and see whether isolating fiber, and targeting it’s levels in our diets, is the answer to our prayers, the cause of all our woes, or just another nutrient that needs balance within a healthy diet.

What do scientists and the multi-billion dollar diet industry have in common: they are obsessed with metabolism. Chances are, you are too, because, well, who doesn’t want to be a lean, mean, fat-fighting machine? Your metabolism can play a role in getting you into fat-fighting-form, but contrary to popular opinion is definitely not the reason you packed on that extra weight in the first place. The quality, quantity, and type of food, sustained restful sleep, exercise type and duration, and the amount of water we drink play much larger roles.

So, we are all obsessed, but what is metabolism… and why should we sweat it?

With so much information out there, and all the labeling designed by creative marketing companies, the confusion can get to you. Let’s break it down, so we can heal together.

We will touch on farming methods, toxins used, what GMOs are, some research on how non-organic effects our bodies and the earth, and we will discuss viable options for how to transition to an organic FULL OF LIFE lifestyle!

The true observance of yoga principles leads practitioners to follow a compassionate, vegan lifestyle. To the casual observer in American studios, yoga appears to be the worship of flexible bodies twisted into interesting poses while wearing tight pants. This is how our cultural appreciates (or to some, appropriates) the practice. Beneath the surface of this Western yogic appearance underlies a spiritual practice that is what yoga actually is, even when the depths are overlooked. The word “yoga” itself stems from the Sanskrit word for union. As laid out in the yoga sutra (the fundamental teachings of yoga to devoted followers) by Patanjali, yoga is a tool that a student uses to recognize the true nature of, and interconnection with, the universe.

On Saturday March 5, plant-based fighter Nate Diaz defeated featherweight champion Conor McGregor by rear naked choke in the second round. Although the fight wasn’t for the belt, it was the biggest win in Diaz’s career.

Unspoken by many in the media, Diaz is notable because he eats a plant-based diet. At times, Diaz
describes himself as a raw vegan, and at other times he claims that he eats no land animals or dairy products. Also underrepresented in the media, there are many vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based fighters in the UFC. In addition to Nate, his brother Nick, their training teammate Jake Shields,Ricardo Moreira, Jon Fitch, retired fighter Mac Danzig, and even hall-of-famer Randy Couture. Some of these fighters have fought for championships, and some have won belts. Most of these fighters did not choose to eat a plant-based diet because of ethical reasons, but because they recognize the health benefits of eliminating animal products from their diets.

To add another layer of vegan interest, Conor McGregor’s movement coach is Ido Portal, who is notorious for saying that he will not train with vegans. According to Portal, vegans lack the strength and energy that he expects in his training partners.

There is a ton of literature out there about how veganism is “healthier” for you, for the planet, and of course for the animals. While some of us may know that it’s just as possible to be a junk food vegan as it is to be a junk food omnivore, there are some compelling details about veganism that make it not just physically more healthful, but also economically lean as well– and these benefits go far beyond the cost of food. In fact, some insurance companies agree so much they Strongly advocate a plant-based diet for everyone. Below are 7 strong reasons to medically and economically #govegan.

Before I jump into this, a word on promoting male stereotypes: We do not, in any way, promote an ideal male or female body type or image (please read these articles on toxic masculinity and why we should recognize what we do to reinforce these cultural norms ourselves) . This is intentionally an article about male competitive body building, and why going vegan is totally applicable to this lifestyle, and also healthier. I have included some names of competitive female bodybuilders at the end, but it is not the focus of this article.

We advocate for health, which definitely does not need to involve body building, in fact, I think many or most body builders do ENORMOUS damage to their body in the pursuit of the single minded goal of bulking up, not to mention stress injuries and other common sports injuries that are a risk factor in any athletic pursuit. I (Suzi) am not a physical trainer, but I have clocked several hours in Rehab medicine, assisted on many studies, read many protocols for treatment and do a lot of research. Therefore, I can say it is likely POSSIBLE to be a bodybuilder, maybe even a competitive one, and to be healthy while doing it. I don’t have the answer, but what I do know is that going vegan responsibly would go a LONG WAY to addressing some of the health concerns that would be generated by ingesting that much saturated fat, and animal protein.